[What A Day]([link removed])

Wednesday, August 7, 2024
BY CROOKED MEDIA

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[- Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), cracking wise about his veep rival, Sen JD Vance (R-OH).]([link removed])

The battle for the northern “Blue Wall” states kicked off in earnest Wednesday with back-to-back dueling rallies in the same two cities on the same day: Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Detroit, Michigan. 
 

- It’s hard to overemphasize the importance of the upper midwest in this presidential election, which explains why both campaigns went there today. VP Kamala Harris and her newly minted vice presidential running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), kick-started their campaign partnership in the city Eau Claire, Wisconsin (pop.: 70,000), just as JD Vance, the veep pick of disgraced former president Trump, took the mic at a rival event nearby. Then Harris and Vance flew into Detroit, just hours after Vance held an event in one of Motor City’s northern suburbs.

- The drama between the two camps kicked off almost immediately, when Vance, Harris and Walz all [arrived at the same time to Wisconsin’s Chippewa Valley Regional Airport]([link removed]). The political meet-cute prompted Vance to act… you guessed it... weird. Vance strode over to Air Force Two and awkwardly addressed assembled reporters. “I figured I’d come by and, one, just get a good look at the plane because hopefully it’s going to be my plane in a few months,” [the Republican Ohio senator said]([link removed]). “I also thought you guys might get lonely because the vice president doesn’t answer questions from reporters and hasn’t for 17 days.” (Harris and Walz were greeted a little later on the tarmac by [giddy Girl Scouts]([link removed]).)
 

- What do the rival rallies tell us about the state of this race? Videos and crowd numbers offer up evidence that Harris and Walz had the mojo today. [Just listen to this clip of Harris’ crowd thundering]([link removed]), “this is what democracy looks like!” posted by NBC News reporter Jake Traylor. Then, [check out this 360-degree view]([link removed]) of Vance’s hilariously low-energy parking lot scene in Shelby Township, an affluent northern suburb of Detroit, posted by journalist Maggie George of the Michigan Information & Research Service. We all know how much Trump loves to brag about crowd sizes. This split-screen image has gotta sting!

[What A Day]([link removed])

Winning a presidential election, of course, takes a lot more than good vibes at a couple rallies. But it’s hard to escape the conclusion that Wednesday’s events offered up further evidence that team Harris has the momentum for now, backing up plenty of polling data that says the same thing. 
 

- Harris has [closed the polling gap with Trump, both nationally]([link removed]) and in battleground states, according to multiple outlets. Meanwhile, Vance’s [poll numbers continue to dip]([link removed]) under a deluge of old videos showing the Senator’s controversial, often bizarre, opinions. Vance is now nine points down in general favorability, with negative double-digits among women, particularly educated women. 
 

- The Harris campaign [said it raised $36 million in the 24 hours]([link removed]) after Harris picked Walz, the former teacher and football coach who has led the charge in branding Trump and Vance “weird.” 
 
Who could have predicted that a charisma-black-hole who cannot stop spouting off creepy Christian nationalist rhetoric and gives “don’t be alone in a room with this guy” vibes would be a bad No. 2 on the GOP ticket? Certainly not us.  

[Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) lost her primary fight for Missouri’s]([link removed]) 1st Congressional District Tuesday night, in another blow to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Bush, a nurse-turned-activist and member of the group of progressives known as the “Squad” in the House, has been a vocal critic of Israel’s war in Gaza. A super PAC aligned with the pro-Israel lobbyist group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, and similarly aligned groups poured more than $8 million into the race in support of Bush’s opponent, Missouri county prosecutor Wesley Bell. 
 
The Democratic primary race that ended Tuesday night with Bell’s victory amounted to the second-most expensive primary in history, only eclipsed by Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-NY) primary race a few weeks earlier. Bowman, also a progressive Democrat and critic of the war in Gaza, lost his primary race and faced similar opposition and funding from pro-Israel groups, to the tally of $15 million. 

Bush allies denounced the role of PAC money in the race. “We should really be wary of the same mega donors that are funding Donald Trump and JD Vance to win in November, are spending millions of dollars targeting mostly black and brown, working class Democrats of color in Democratic primaries,” Usamah Andrabi, the communications director for Justice Democrats, said in an interview with What A Day.  “That should be a crisis for our party. It certainly is a crisis for our democracy, because this level of spending is an all out assault on our democracy.”

Been thinking about signing up for Crooked's Friends of the Pod? Then now's the time! Join Pod Save The World Ben Rhodes next Tuesday, August 13th at 3pm PT for a round of Ask Me Anything! Ask him about what it was like working with Former US President Obama, or ask him about his favorite food. Up to you. Head on over to [crooked.com/friends]([link removed]) to sign up now!

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[An Ohio judge upheld a law that bans gender affirmative care for minors in the state on Tuesday]([link removed]). The law will also bar transgender girls and women from participating in high school or college sports designated for girls and women. Tuesday’s ruling clears the legal obstacles for the law to go into effect. 
 
[Three Taylor Swift concerts were canceled in Vienna, Austria]([link removed]) after authorities thwarted planned attacks at the pop star's upcoming events. Two individuals with ISIS ties were arrested for the planned terrorist attacks. 
 
[Donald Trump said tech billionaire Elon Musk will interview him]([link removed]) on Monday, so if you want to hear two guys whose brains have been turned to mush by right-wing media yes-and each other for an hour, be sure to tune in! 
 
Speaking of mush brains, [Vice presidential hopeful JD Vance floated conspiracy theories in text exchanges]([link removed]) with far-right fringe figure Charles Johnson over the encrypted messaging app, Signal, over a period of 20 months. 
 
[The judge in Trump’s hush money case kicked the decision to recuse himself]([link removed]) down the line to September 16, just two days before he’s due to sentence the former president for his 34 felonies. Gonna be a week packed with legal drama! 

[Scientists fear the possible dissolution of the Great Barrier Reef]([link removed]) due to extreme temperatures during this generation unless humankind acts to curb climate change. Let’s corral this shit for the coral already.

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Whether you’re searching for a buzzy new memoir, riveting true crime, or a fantasy novel that sweeps you away, [Bookshop.org]([link removed]) has just the book you’re looking for. Their online bookstore is stocked with a range of titles that will keep you entertained for hours. From Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo” to “Democracy or Else" by Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett, there's something for everyone. Book recommendations on [Bookshop.org]([link removed]) also come from real people who love books, not algorithms.

And the best part? When you purchase from [Bookshop.org]([link removed]), you’re supporting over 2,000 local, independent bookstores across the country. 

What A Day is proud to partner with [Bookshop.org]([link removed]) in supporting independent bookstores. Every purchase you make on [Bookshop.org]([link removed]) directly funds local booksellers. Thanks to fellow readers like you, over $32 million has already been donated to help keep local, independent bookstores serving their communities. [Bookshop.org]([link removed]) is a certified B-Corp and all deliveries are carbon-neutral.

Join [Bookshop.org]([link removed]) in uplifting independent bookstores today. Happy reading!

[Kamala Harris edged out Donald Trump 51%-48%, in a national poll]([link removed]) of voters by [NPR/PBS News/Marist]([link removed]). The latest numbers are a marked uptick of roughly 4 percentage points in Harris’s favor relative to polling just after Biden bowed out of the presidential race. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves but... uh, wow!

[Young boys are suddenly]([link removed]) flocking to sign up for gymnastics after glasses donning, pommel horse guy Stephen Nedoroscikhe star broke the internet with his nonchalant posture, but also gold medal skills, during the Paris Olympics. He pommeled America’s hearts (and clearly needs a Warby Parker sponsorship).

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